University of Tasmania, Australia

The Tasmanian Department of Health & Human Services has developed a comprehensive strategic health plan that aims to transform the delivery of health care across Tasmania (http://www.dhhs.tas.gov.au/futurehealth/ ). Information technology systems and services are seen as critical enablers of this transformation by supporting improved access to information for clinical service provision and for strategic planning and service redesign.

In this context, the state-wide implementation of a scanned medical record system aims to support the electronic delivery of clinical information in acute care and resolve the challenges of the physical storage of paper-based medical records. Stage one of this Digital Medical Records (DMR) project involved the acquisition of the scanning system and its implementation at the Royal Hobart Hospital (RHH).  As part of project planning an independent evaluation of Stage one was deemed necessary after 18 months and prior to the Stage two state-wide roll-out of the DMR system.

The eHealth Services Research Group (eHSRG) was engaged to conduct the independent evaluation of the DMR Project and to produce this report. The focus of the evaluation was on capturing user experiences, expectations, attitudes and insights on the DMR system itself, its roll-out, system training and DMR system utility.
This independent evaluation delivers a clear message regarding the stage one implementation of the DMR system: there is widespread support for the DMR amongst users and their experiences of the system and its benefits, the training provided and, towards its state-wide roll-out are generally positive.